"Bring him down, Inspector! Bring him down! Quick! Here, let me have
your rifle!" Hurriedly he snatched at the Inspector's carbine.
"Stop!" cried the Inspector in sharp command. "Now, attention! We are
on a somewhat delicate business. A mistake might bring disaster. I am in
command of this party and I must have absolute and prompt obedience. Mr.
Cadwaller, it will be at your peril that you make any such move again.
Let no man draw a gun until ordered by me! Now, then, cut out those
horses and bunch them together!"
"Jeerupiter! He's a hull brigade himself," said Mr. Cadwaller in an
undertone, dropping back beside Mr. Sligh. "Waal, here goes for the
bunch."
But though both Mr. Cadwaller and Mr. Raimes, as well as Sergeant Crisp
and the Inspector, were expert cattle men, it took some little time and
very considerable manoeuvering to get the stolen horses bunched together
and separated from the rest of the animals grazing in the valley, and by
the time this was accomplished Indian riders had appeared on every side,
gradually closing in upon the party. It was clearly impossible to drive
off the bunch through that gradually narrowing cordon of mounted Indians
without trouble.
"Now, what's to be done?" said Mr. Cadwaller, nervously addressing the
Inspector.
"Forward!" cried the Inspector in a loud voice.
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